Any good old books? On swaps. On customization. On fabrication. Any good books that have helped you in the past. Here's one I'm reading now that is helpful Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I just picked up a copy of this book. So far, I'm enjoying it, lots of good info; Another fantastic book; Bobby
I've got several of the books mentioned above plus having enough more to have a couple of pretty good size shelves full of them. Picked up over the past 50 years. I can't say there is any best overall general hot rod building book. There are chassis books that are better than others, there are engine books that are better than others and there are body books that are better than others. A few seem to assume that the reader (s) have a serous knowledge of the subject already and get pretty involved on the high tech end but leave out the basics. On the other hand some are very basic. I've got just about every flathead book that has been written in the past 40 years on the shelf behind me. All have good points. One is all about building serious race motors and not a lot of good for a guy who just wants a nice little street engine to stick in his A-V8 to be able to put lots of miles on it and still be able to spin a tire once in a while. Another is filled with history but doesn't have a lot of the basic engine building info if a guy hasn't already done a few engines.
Thanks HRP, Bobby and Mr48Chevy. I'm gonna get the tex smith engine swapping book 1st. That one seems interesting and have seen others post about it. Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I had much earlier versions of these when I was a kid. Since there was nobody around to school me, I learned a lot from these books.
I got a lot of mileage out of the MOTORBOOKS WORKSHOP line. They're readily available, mostly still in print, and not super pricey. Some are better than others but the ones to skip should be apparent by their ratings & reviews overall. Buying up vintage Hot Rod and Custom books/magazines off Ebay is another GREAT way to absorb some HAMB Friendly tech and design inspiration. This one is a must, IMO: Practical Fabrication and Assembly Techniques: Automotive, Motorcycle, Racing (Motorbooks Workshop) How To Weld (Motorbooks Workshop) How To Pinstripe (Motorbooks Workshop) And, of course, How to Build a Traditional Ford Hot Rod (Motorbooks Workshop)
Another book you might want to find is an old high school auto shop textbook. Automotive Mechanics, by Crouse, is a good one...there were many revisions, you might want the 1965 or 1975 editions to figure out how old car work, in general. Because it's a good idea to know about what it is you plan to modify.
Those are some great books, I like reading and going through the really old school repair manuals too. MoToRs had a series from the 1930's thru at least the 1960's. Technical manuals had a great way of writing and getting concepts across in the fewest words possible at times, something that seems lost today for some reason.
You’re welcome. And you’re right, it is truly the only topic. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This thread has some real good books, thanks guys. Like said above the library is good, the book I posted 1st is a library book. They have how to dvds too. I while back I bought this book from a man who's dad used to build hot rods and passed, it's real cool the way it's formatted with pictures and diagrams. Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The series of books by Boyd Coddington contain lots of good info on chassis fabrication etc, and no drama! There's a great SoCal chassis book around to. All of these have been about for a good few years now so they might show up cheap at swap-meets, evilbay etc. Chris Edit; hey! https://www.ebay.com/itm/How-To-Bui...295987?hash=item2cc6b4c233:g:oiIAAOxydgZTIgc4 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Boyd-Coddi...027301&hash=item3d39db6d27:g:MjEAAOSwX61ZCKJd
And don't forget the free books. A lot of our manufactures put out catalogs that not only show the parts that are available. But some give helpful tips and drawings for ya too.
YOU TUBE has videos on many car subjects, bodywork, paint, mechanicals,etc. Also do a google search on cars, 32 Ford, 51 Mercury, kustom paint, Chevy engine rebuild, etc. As stated here on the HAMB use search, many subjects covered. I saw your post looking for a mentor, try making some new friends at car shows, Cruise's, sooner are later you should be able to find a group there to fit in with. To make a new friend at a car show, walk up and say Kool Car, could you take a few minutes to talk about it, most guys will, don't let the crabby old know it all, that's pissed at the world get to you, just move on, find another car that interests you, majority of car guys love to talk about their car. Be a good listener and be HUMBLE !, maybe a friend will happen which should lead to a group. Most of us are old enough to be your Dad or Grandpa, so it's up to you to figure us out, as seniors, we are set in our ways, definitely pick and choose friends, not that easy to get to know sometimes. The car hobby is a community, like so many things in life. Good luck in your quest for knowledge/skills and Hot Rod friends
.....................So true! Drake's catalogs for Ford stuff have always been stuffed full of great tips and pictures. Pete& Jakes always had some great chassis related tips and illustrations. Cheap reference material for sure.
A most helpful book to me has been "Metals and How to Weld Them" by the Lincoln Foundation and available on Amazon.
Seems like the manuals today are full of filler and legal boilerplate i.e. "Do Not Ingest Contents of Battery". And even manuals from the 1920s have some good basic information and principles that still apply today to modern stuff.
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